For $99, You Can Buy Your Very Own Robotic Dragonfly

Big robots are scary. Just take one look at any of the large robots that populate our world, and you're bound to find one that will invade your nightmares. What may be even scarier, however, are the tiny robots that can go undetected.

Robotic researchers at the University of Georgia have built the next tiny nightmarish robot. It's in the shape of a dragonfly, which is already a pretty terrifying insects, and adds a number of robotic advancement that ensure the human race is never safe again.

All predictions of robotic apocalypses aside, the tiny robot is being billed as a spy drone. The development was funded with $1 million from the US Air Force. The implications in the military are obvious, but the researchers are also making it available to regular consumers.

The robot will retail for $250, but the team has started up an Indiegogo campaign to offer the robot for only $99. The $99 package will include the robot, remote controller, battery and charger. It will also come with the SDK so that developers can create their own apps based around the dragonfly drone.

At higher funding levels, the robot becomes far more advanced. At $249, the robot will come equipped with a more advanced MARC-2 flight computer, Wi-Fi and a camera. It's the perfect device to spy on your neighbors. The team is also offering a $399 variant that includes their most powerful MARC-3 flight computer.

It's awesome that drones are finally getting into the hands of regular citizens, but I can't help but feel that some people will use them for nefarious purposes. I don't want to think what ne'er-do-wells would do with the technology. It's a spy drone, but it could be outfitted with tiny weaponry. The future of nano warfare may be soon upon us.